Green Death
by Jetainia
Summary: When he was young, he met Death and lived.


**MC4A**

Fill 5  
Prompt: 3C (Green)  
Representations: Salazar Slytherin; MoD Harry Potter  
Bonus Challenges: Demo (Mouth of Babes)  
Word count: 776  
Beta: Aya Diefair

* * *

A boy sat alone on a hillside, pulling out blades of grass in anger. A rush of air ruffled his hair and he startled as a voice said, "You shouldn't give up. You have more ahead of you than you know."

The boy snorted. "What do you know of what's ahead of me?"

A man sat down next to him and looked out over the calm countryside. "A bit of this and a bit of that. You learn much if you listen, and Time will always tell."

"It's stupid anyway," the boy said. "I can't get it to work whenever I want and I've been trying for _ages_."

"And you'll no doubt keep trying. You are still only a child, even if you are a gifted one. Don't expect results so quickly."

"A Slytherin is not slow," the boy recited. "I'm Salazar Slytherin, and yet I can't even make some stupid branch lift itself in the air. Everyone calls me crazy for trying. They think I've made a deal with the devil and I should stop using the powers he gave me."

"Yes, that is something you'll have to deal with, unfortunately. Prejudice and fear, Salazar. They will never leave, no matter how much we try."

Salazar threw a few bits of grass away and watched each blade flutter to the ground. "It's stupid."

"Yes," the man agreed. "But you can make it better."

"How?" the boy grumbled, annoyed.

The man chuckled. "That would be telling, and I am Death, not Time."

For the first time since the man had arrived, Salazar looked at him. He was short, with messy black hair that almost looked like feathers, and green eyes that seemed to hold the secrets of the universe within them. He could believe that this man was Death as he claimed.

"Are you here for me?" he asked, not really afraid as he didn't see what there was to be afraid of.

Death smiled gently. "Not yet. You have quite a lot of work ahead of you, Salazar. I expect you to make the name of Slytherin proud."

Not knowing why Death was telling him this, Salazar nevertheless nodded. "I will."

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work." Death stood up and his hair elongated down his back to become black wings. "Oh, and Salazar?" He grinned at the boy, his green eyes alight with mischief. "Do try and give the grass a rest, it's not harming you in the slightest by growing there."

An old man sat alone on a hill, idly picking at the grass by his side. A rush of air came from behind him and he knew who had arrived. "Death," he acknowledged.

"Salazar Slytherin," the man said as he sat down. "A name that will go down in history as one of the four Founders of Hogwarts."

"You told me that I had work ahead of me, I apologise that I left it."

Death waved his hand dismissively. "I knew you would. Time, as you should remember, is quite the gossip. But you have achieved much, there exists a school now that can teach any with magic how to use it."

Salazar did remember, though he had not understood it at the time. "I chose green because of you, you know." Death made an inquiring hum and Salazar continued, "Your eyes have haunted me since I saw them. I saw the universe there and I wanted to share what little I could with those in my care."

"You are a remarkable man, Salazar Slytherin."

"Not so remarkable, I think. I failed at the most important things. I couldn't stay at Hogwarts, I couldn't stop fighting with Godric, I couldn't…" he trailed off. "I couldn't promise Helga that I would never leave her."

"And yet she loved you anyway," Death said gently. "Just as you loved her. It does not matter how fleeting a love is, it only matters that it existed."

"Can I ask… Helga, have you…?"

"Claimed her? No, not yet. Soon though, she will come to me as all things do."

"I suppose that's why you're here."

"Correct." Death stood up and held out his hand for Salazar to take. "Shall we, Salazar Slytherin, Founder of Hogwarts?"

Salazar looked at the scenery before him once more before accepting Death's hand. As he stood, his body became younger and less riddled with the problems that came with age. Death's wings grew and flapped as he carried Salazar to his dimension. Below, there was the body of an old man looking as though he had fallen asleep on the grass, a peaceful smile on his face.


End file.
